There are many options available to you if you choose to self-publish your book. You may want to publish in print form, as an e-book, or both. You may want to manage all aspects of the publishing process yourself or you may want to outsource some or all of these responsibilities to a service provider.
There are many models and options to choose from including:
- self-publishing in print – with the intention of distributing to and selling in bookshops (bricks and mortar shops and/or online through platforms such as Amazon).
- self-publishing in print – with the intention of only producing a small number of copies to share with family and friends.
- self-publishing as an e-book for online sale only.
- writing and publishing on platforms such as Wattpad.
- And of course, any combination of the above.
The materials on these pages have been commissioned by Writing WA and written for us by self-published author Bernice Barry and her publishing partner Mike Rumble. Bernice and Mike have unpacked the process of self-publishing a book in print form specifically for sale in bricks and mortar bookshops – as experienced by them when they self-published Bernice’s very successful book Georgiana Molloy; The Mind That Shines.
They provide insights into the processes, challenges, and lessons learnt along the way and – regardless of which self-publishing model you decide is right for you – there is much to be learned from the knowledge shared here.
You can dip into the resources at any point, depending on what stage you’ve reached with your own writing project. There are 7 sections:
GETTING STARTED is about taking the first steps towards writing for publication, including editing your manuscript.
BUDGET will help you plan and make decisions from the start, according to the budget you set. This section can be read alone as one of the key starting points for the publication process but it’s also linked to each of the other sections for cross-reference because most decisions you make along the way will affect others.
DESIGN, PRINTING, MARKETING and DISTRIBUTION will take you through the main business of turning your manuscript into a book and getting it to its audience.
MORE offers some ideas about next steps, such as finding a literary agent or submitting your self-published book to a publisher.
